Eyes 4 Sports

Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi could not believe the report he had just read. Esther Vergeer, wheelchair tennis champion, has won an amazing 401 tennis matches without a loss. A record that dates all the way back to 2003, including the fact that Vergeer has never lost a singles match in Grand Slam competition.

“I was shocked,” says Qureshi. “What an amazing achievement in our sport. She is an inspiration. I told my coach that I wanted to meet her [Vergeer] and find out how she has managed to achieve so much.”

Roger Rasheed, coach of Gael Monfils, came out to watch the practice session on Court 5 and walked away impressed with Vergeer’s ability and records.

“Firstly she’s a remarkable talent,” claims Rasheed. “The fact that she hasn’t been defeated in eight years and over 400 wins is extraordinary. Just watching her ability, and not only with the chair but just her racquet ability and her ability to hit the ball, she’s as pure as a modern day player as far as what she does with her racquet and what she does with the ball.”